Pascal Dupraz deserves credit for the revival of Saint Etienne in Ligue 1
Saint Etienne were rock-bottom in Ligue 1 at the halfway stage when Pascal Dupraz replaced Claude Puel as their head coach.
France's most successful club picked up just two wins from their opening 18 games and they seemed set to get relegated this season. With just 12 points in their kitty at the time, the gap between them and the next worst team was a massive seven points.
Dupraz arrived with a reputation for helping clubs to safety in France's top-two divisions. However, unlike his assignments at Toulouse and SM Caen, this gig was always going to be harder given Saint Etienne's reputation in the division.
Saint-Étienne have sacked manager Claude Puel following this afternoon's 5-0 loss to Rennes. #ASSESRFC https://t.co/BPMP5nr44F
A shift in approach - From optimism to realism
Claude Puel has excelled in his last two seasons in charge by adopting an offensive style of play. The 4-3-3 formation lost its charm when the club started conceding two goals a game under Puel this season. Whatever points the club accumulated until the time of Puel's departure was essentially driven by the brilliance of one man, khazri" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Whabi Khazri.
Dupraz marked a change in formation, opting for a double-pivot in midfield and tying Khazri up with Denis Bouanga as a supporting striker. It was a reasonable change that was aimed at giving the line-up more balance to compete with their rivals. He showed a lot of guile in deploying Yvann Maçon as a full-back as well as calling up the French U-23 Mahdi Camara as a holding midfielder.
Since his arrival, Saint Etienne has played 11 games so far, winning four of them and drawing three.
Wahbi Khazri was among three Saint-Etienne scorers who found the net in the closing eight minutes as the record Ligue 1 champions climbed off the bottom of the table with a 3-1 win over Montpellier. #ASSEMHSC https://t.co/nPxxurdUjL
Criticism of Dupraz no longer makes sense
Despite his resume, the manager's arrival was heralded as a flop with the Frenchman having no experience with France's elite clubs. Many called it a gamble dished out by the club's operating hierarchy after its owners suspended their ties with the club. The Frenchman, to many, was in the wrong place at a very wrong time.
However, in no less than a month, he has managed to operate with whatever resources he has got and generate positive results in the field. More importantly, he has created good structure and solidarity amongst the players, something which remained a major concern under the previous regime.
It is high time that the Saint Etienne faithful recognize Dupraz's contribution. As things stand, the club occupy the last relegation spot just and are just one point behind 17th-placed Clermont Foot. Given their revival under the new boss, the club is expected to escape relegation and no one deserves more credit than Pascal Dupraz.